From the book

From the book

Next, you’ll learn how to edit the Perspective Grid. To edit the grid, you can either select the Perspective Grid tool or edit using the Define Grid menu item. You can make changes to the grid if you have content on the grid, although it may be easier to establish the grid settings before you add content. You can create only one grid per Illustrator document.

With the Perspective Grid
showing two-point perspective
and the Perspective Grid
tool ()
selected, drag the horizon
line point down below the
bottom of the blue sky to
move the horizon down, as
shown in the figure. The
measurement label should
show approximately 147 pt.

Throughout this section, the
pink X in the figures shows where
to drag from.

NOTE

The gray lines in some of these
figures indicate the initial
position of the Perspective Grid,
before it was adjusted.

With the Perspective Grid
tool, drag the left ground
level point up to move the
whole Perspective Grid. Drag
until the horizon line you
adjusted in the previous
step is lined up with the
bottom of the blue sky.

Choose File > Save. Changes
you make to the Perspective
Grid are saved with this
document only.

Setting the grid up for your
drawing is an important step.
Next, you will access these changes
using the Define Grid menu.

Choose View > Perspective
Grid > Define Grid.

In the Define Perspective
Grid dialog box, change the
Units to Inches, and change
the Gridline Every value
to .3 in. Change the Viewing
Distance to 7 in. The Viewing
Distance is the distance
between the observer and
the scene.

Notice that you can change
the Scale of the grid, which
you might want to do if real
world measurements are involved.
You can also edit settings
like Horizon Height and Viewing
Angle, which you can also
edit on the artboard using the
Perspective Grid tool. You can
also experiment with the Grid
Color & Opacity
settings. When you have finished
making changes, click OK.

TIP

After setting the Define Perspective
Grid settings, you can save them
as a preset to access later.
In the Define Perspective Grid
dialog box, change the settings,
and then click the Save Preset
button.

TIP

To learn more about the Define
Perspective Grid dialog box,
search for “Define grid
presets” in Illustrator
Help.

With the Perspective Grid
tool, drag the left vanishing
point to the left until it
reaches the left horizon
line point. Notice that this
changes only the left (blue)
grid on the two-point Perspective
Grid.

Choose Edit > Undo Perspective
Grid Edit. You are able to
undo most changes made to
the Perspective Grid.

Choose View > Perspective
Grid > Lock Station Point.
This locks the left and right
vanishing points so that they
move together.

With the Perspective Grid
tool, drag the left vanishing
point to the left again, until
it reaches the left Horizon
Line point. Notice that this
now changes both grids on the
two-point Perspective Grid.

Choose View > Perspective
Grid > Lock Grid. This option
restricts the grid movement
and other grid editing features
that use the Perspective Grid
tool. You can change only the
visibility and the grid plane
position, which you will work
with later in this lesson.

NOTE

When you select another tool besides the Gradient Perspective tool, you cannot edit the Perspective Grid. Also, if the Perspective Grid is locked, you can edit it by choosing View > Perspective Grid > Define Grid.

Now that the grid is locked into the correct position, you will begin creating your cityscape by adding content to it.